The Kinsman's Out and Back is a 9.5-mile out-and-back with 3,287 ft of elevation gain.
9.5 mi • 3,287 ft gain • 5-8 hours • Lonesome Lake Trailhead
Feels like 47°F
Recent Precipitation
Rain: 0.07" (24h) · 0.07" (48h)
Best Hiking Window
Early morning Wednesday, starting at first light, to summit and descend before afternoon winds and rain risk increase
Conditions synthesized from: NWS Higher Summits Forecast, NOAA Open-Meteo, Mount Washington Observatory, NETC Trip Reports, NOHRSC Snow Depth, Mt. Washington Avalanche Center, USGS Stream Levels, OpenWeather Air Quality.
AI-generated from public data. Always verify conditions before heading out — backcountry weather can change quickly.
Summit-level conditions by time of day at 4,358' elevation
Tap a day header to expand to 3hr or hourly detail
Tuesday Sep 1 | Today Sep 2 | Tomorrow Sep 3 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | AM | PM | night | |
| Temperature & Wind | |||||||||
| Weather | cloudy | cloudy | sunny | fog | drizzle | rain | drizzle | drizzle | drizzle |
| Temp °F hi / lo | 54° 52° | 54° 53° | 54° 52° | 52° 50° | 53° 51° | 54° 52° | 55° 53° | 57° 55° | 58° 55° |
| Chill °F | — | — | — | 45° | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wind mph | 6 | 11 | 19 | 15 | 22 | 43 | 33 | 20 | 17 |
| Gust mph est. | — | 18 | 30 | 24 | 35 | 60 | 51 | 32 | — |
| Storm risk | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Precipitation | |||||||||
| Precip in (rain/snow) | - | - | - | - | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | - |
| Freezing ft | 12,659 ft | 13,142 ft | 13,514 ft | ||||||
| Conditions | |||||||||
| Cloud cover | 99% | 100% | 33% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 93% | 63% |
| Vis mi | clear | 8 | 2 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | <0.1 | 0.1 | clear |
| UV | 4 | 6 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 0 | 4 | — |
Tap a day header to expand AM/PM/Night detail
| Elevation | Tuesday Sep 1 | Today Sep 2 | Tomorrow Sep 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| lo/hi °F · wind mph & dir · chill °F | |||
| Summit 4,358 ft | 52/54° 6 | 50/52° 15 | 53/55° 33 |
| 4,100 ft | 53/55° 6 | 51/53° 15 | 53/56° 32 |
| 3,300 ft | 54/58° 6 | 53/55° 16 | 54/59° 28 |
| 2,500 ft | 56/60° 6 | 55/56° 14 | 55/61° 24 |
| Trailhead 2,000 ft | 57/61° 5 | 57/57° 13 | 56/63° 21 |
4 more days of forecast — plan around the weather window, not just tomorrow.
Full hourly summit forecasts: South Kinsman Mountain weather · North Kinsman Mountain weather
The Kinsman's Out and Back is a 9.5-mile out-and-back in New Hampshire's White Mountains, starting at Lonesome Lake Trailhead. It climbs about 3,287 ft — an average of 346 ft per mile — which works out to roughly 5-8 hours at AMC book time. It summits 2 named peaks, topping out on South Kinsman Mountain at 4,358 ft: South Kinsman Mountain (4,358 ft), North Kinsman Mountain (4,293 ft). HikerNerd rates it Difficult on effort alone — check the current conditions above before committing, since weather above treeline changes the day far more than the numbers do.
Distance
9.5 mi
Elevation Gain
3,287 ft
Duration
5-8 hours
Trailhead
Lonesome Lake Trailhead
The Kinsman's Out and Back is 9.5 miles round trip, starting at Lonesome Lake Trailhead. At AMC book time — half the distance in hours plus 30 minutes per 1,000 ft of climbing — that works out to roughly 5-8 hours. Most parties take longer than book time on rough or above-treeline terrain, in winter, or with a heavy pack.
The Kinsman's Out and Back climbs about 3,287 ft over 9.5 miles — an average of roughly 346 ft of gain per mile. That figure is cumulative ascent across the whole out-and-back, not the difference between the trailhead and the high point.
HikerNerd rates the Kinsman's Out and Back Difficult, scored with the Shenandoah difficulty formula — √(elevation gain × 2 × distance) — applied to its 9.5 miles and 3,287 ft of gain. The score measures physical effort only. Above-treeline exposure, water crossings, and winter conditions can make a moderate-rated route the hardest day of your year, so check current conditions before committing.
The Kinsman's Out and Back summits 2 named peaks: South Kinsman Mountain, North Kinsman Mountain.
The Kinsman's Out and Back starts at Lonesome Lake Trailhead. Check the trail alerts on this page before you drive — trailhead access and parking in the White Mountains change with closures and construction.
Been to Kinsman's Out and Back?
Be the first to share your experience!